“Hang on.”There was a noise, then a moment later, he returned.“You’re on speaker.Trevor’s here, too.”
“You really found them?”Trevor asked.
“Sure did,” Badger said, leaning against the desk.“Here’s what we know so far.”He summarized the story Donnel told them in under five minutes.“Did I get that right?”Badger asked Donnel.
“Yes,” the man muttered.
Peyton let out a whistle.“Holy fuck.All right.Well, now we have some answers, I guess, but it leaves us with even more questions.Have you told him what’s going on?”
“Not yet,” Badger said.
“Well, here’s the story.”Ten minutes later, Peyton finished his summary.“So I’ll ask again—any clue where Faegan is?”
Donnel had gone from looking angry to looking nearly sick.“No,” he said.“If I did, believe me, I’d volunteer to help you go get him and skin him.”
“Why should we believe anything you say?”Ken asked.
“Because I Primed him to tell the truth,” Duncan wryly said.
“Oh.Right.”
“Can you think of anyone Faegan might have turned to for help?”Peyton asked.
“I mean, there are people,” Donnel said, “but my knowledge is literally from when I left.I haven’t been back or had contact with any of them since.I don’t even know if any of them are still alive, or where they might be, if they are.”
Badger grabbed a notepad and a pen and handed them to Donnel.“All the names and any particulars you remember, please.”
Donnel looked at them.“Please don’t harm Hyacinth.She had no part in any of this, I swear.”
“No one’s harmin’ her,” Badger assured him.“No one’s harmin’ anyone.”
“Unfortunately,” Ken gritted.
“Hold up,” Peyton said.“What’d I miss?”
“Ken managed to get in a few punches before we could stop him,” Duncan said.
“Oh, man, and I missed it!”Peyton laughed.“That’ll teach me to not be home.”
Despite the tension, Ken couldn’t help laughing, too, which he knew was Peyton’s purpose.Peyton was just like his little sister, in some ways.
“Well, Ken, you’ll be happy to know you’re all heading home to Florida soon,” Peyton added.
“Oh, thank god!”That news was almost enough to make him forget the rest of this bullshit.
Almost.
Ken retrievedLyssa from Gillian and returned to the cabin to feed and change her.He settled on the couch with her in his arms and, as she sucked on her bottle, he tried to still his mind and focus only on her.
He tried not to think about how much she resembled the baby pictures of his mom.
Tried not to think about his mom being left on someone’s fucking doorstep, of all the goddamned clichés in the universe.
Tried not to think about how terrified Bryn must have been when she awakened and not only found herself a prisoner, but that her baby was gone.
How insane with fear and grief and rage Callum must have been when he realized they were missing.
But at least it finally explained why there wasn’t a huge outcry and search for her bio family.They thought the “mobsters” would attack.
